1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operation mechanism, an endoscope apparatus, a medical device, and a guide catheter.
2. Description of Related Art
Hitherto, an endoscope apparatus has been used in order to observe and treat a treatment subject portion or the like inside a body cavity. There is a known endoscope apparatus in which a flexible elongated insertion section that is inserted into a body cavity is connected to an operation section that is used to operate the insertion section (for example, see Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2005-168882). Further, Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2004-358012 discloses an endoscope operation section which allows an operator who operates the endoscope apparatus to be able to operate the endoscope treatment instrument and the endoscope apparatus without an assistant.
Further, hitherto, as a medical device equipped with a curved portion that may be operated to be curved, there is a known medical device equipped with an operation mechanism that transmits an operation input which curves the curved portion to the curved portion. As an example of the medical device equipped with the operation mechanism, for example, International Patent Application Publication No. 2006/126265 discloses an endoscope apparatus including a ball shaft to which a wire used for curving a curved portion is connected and an operation lever which is connected to the ball shaft, wherein, when the operation lever installed on the ball shaft is tilted down so as to pull the wire, the curved portion is curved.
Further, Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2000-23908 discloses a technique in which the position of a wire is made to be offset by 45° in the circumferential direction of a curved portion with respect to the position of a rivet which connects joint portions of the curved portion of the endoscope in order to decrease the diameter of the distal end portion of the endoscope.